The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 30, 2008
Filed:
Jun. 25, 2007
David W Allan, Fountain Green, UT (US);
John a Kusters, Cupertino, CA (US);
Gus R German, Fountain Green, UT (US);
David W Allan, Fountain Green, UT (US);
John A Kusters, Cupertino, CA (US);
Gus R German, Fountain Green, UT (US);
Allan Space-Time Solutions, LLC, Fountain Green, UT (US);
Abstract
A sensor array made up of 2n piezoelectric oscillators (preferably paired quartz oscillators) is provided in which n equals the number of axes of interest and each one of the pairs of oscillators has a principle axis directed oppositely from the other of its pair. A controller which preferably includes a microprocessor, makes use of the dynamic relationships of the sensors in the array to adaptively assess the magnitude of weighting factors needed to correct the output signal from each oscillator for environmental and systematic effects to provide optimum frequency and phase output for computing position, velocity, and acceleration. Preferably, a seventh reference oscillator is provided in the center of the array which is canted relative to each of the three orthogonal axes by 45°. This adaptive sensor array is capable of determining position within one meter along any of the x, y, and z axes without the need for any external (e.g., GPS) signal. In addition, unlike other sensor systems, it is capable of providing local vertical on a continuous basis. The array can also determine if an object is moving in any translational or rotational direction, within the measurement capabilities of the system.